Team-by-team preview: LIV Golf Michigan Team Championship

The stage is set for the final event of the 2025 LIV Golf season as the 12 remaining teams compete in this week’s LIV Golf Michigan Team Championship. The Cardinal at Saint John’s will be the site for all the action, starting with head-to-head match play for Friday’s quarter-finals and Saturday's semi-finals. Sunday will consist of the final three teams playing stroke play.

Here is an overview of each of the remaining LIV Golf teams, ranked in order of the official LIV Golf team standings.

1 LEGION XIII (248.66 points)

Players: Jon Rahm (1st), Tom McKibbin (20th), Tyrrell Hatton (26th), Caleb Surratt (33rd).

2025 Performance: Dominant regular season with 248.66 points, driven by Rahm’s incredibly consistent season that resulted in the season-long Individual Championship. Legion XIII had a league-high eight podium finishes that included a league-high four wins.

Outlook: Last year, Legion XIII Captain Rahm did not participate in this event due to an illness. As top seeds and now at full strength, Legion XIII can choose their quarterfinal opponent, as well as see their opponent's lineups, both of which are a major advantage. Having both Rahm and Hatton, who have a good deal of Ryder Cup experience, makes Legion XIII the favorites this week.

2 CRUSHERS GC (186.00 points)

Players: Bryson DeChambeau (3rd), Paul Casey (16th), Charles Howell III (21st), Anirban Lahiri (25th).

2025 Performance: Strong season with 186.00 points, led by DeChambeau’s third place season. Crushers GC has one of the deepest teams in the league with all four of their players finishing in the top 25 in the Individual standings. They finished the season with four podium finishes, with three wins.

Outlook: DeChambeau’s power and Ryder Cup experience (2-2-1 in 2021) make the Crushers a formidable threat this week. The team has been together since the start of LIV Golf and will be looking to bounce back after getting upset by the Iron Heads last season.

3 FIREBALLS GC (185.00 points)

Players: Sergio Garcia (9th), David Puig (10th), Abraham Ancer (12th), Josele Ballester (35th).

2025 Performance: Fireballs GC had six podium finishes, fueled by their hot start, winning three times early in the season. Captain Garcia started the season strong and their young players picked up the slack later in the season. Ballester announced his arrival as one of the most intriguing young prospects in the game with a T2 finish in Chicago.

Outlook: No-one in the history of the Ryder Cup has accrued more points than Sergio Garcia (22-13-7) and the team finished the season with five consecutive top five finishes. The Fireballs will be an extremely tough out this week.

4 TORQUE GC (160.00 points)

Players: Joaquin Niemann (2nd), Sebastian Munoz (4th), Carlos Ortiz (8th), Mito Pereira (51st).

2025 Performance: Torque GC was led by Niemann’s historic five-win season (Adelaide, Singapore, Mexico City, Virginia, UK) and Munoz’s incredible performance leading to a win in Indianapolis for both the Colombian and Torque GC. The team broke the LIV Golf team scoring record in the win, shooting a combined –64. In addition to the win, Torque had five podium finishes.

Outlook: Niemann’s elite form and Munoz’s breakout season make Torque a serious threat. Their match play experience is less documented, but they have three players who finished in the top eight in the individual standings.

5 4ACES GC (138.66 points)

Players: Patrick Reed (7th), Dustin Johnson (14th), Thomas Pieters (19th), Harold Varner III (22nd).

2025 Performance: It was a down year for Johnson considering his lofty standards but Reed had an excellent season, earning his first LIV Golf win in Dallas. Pieters ended the season strong for the 4Aces and got into the Lock Zone, securing his place for 2026. The team did not have a win in 2025 but had six podium finishes.

Outlook: Johnson and Reed are both proven elite match play players, which make the 4Aces a strong contender. Their mid-tier seed limits their ability to dictate their opponent but if Pieters and Varner III step up, the 4Aces can certainly win the Team Championship.

6 RIPPER GC (104.66 points)

Players: Marc Leishman (13th), Lucas Herbert (15th), Cameron Smith (18th), Matt Jones (40th).

2025 Performance: It was a mediocre season for Ripper GC, who undoubtedly had higher expectations coming into the season. Leishman led the team in points and had an extremely impressive win in Miami. The winless season for Smith hindered Ripper’s ceiling. Ripper GC had one win and three additional podium finishes.

Outlook: Last year, Ripper GC went on a run to win the Team Championship. This year, the Australian team is limping into the week having finished in last place last week at LIV Golf Indianapolis. Without a bye, it will be much more difficult for Ripper to win the whole thing.

7 STINGER GC (104.16 points)

Players: Dean Burmester (5th), Charl Schwartzel (23rd), Branden Grace (29th), Louis Oosthuizen (30th)

2025 Performance: Stinger GC had one win this season and two additional podium finishes. Burmester won a few weeks ago at LIV Golf Chicago and Grace is playing incredible golf to end the season. He’s finished in the top five in three of his past four starts.

Outlook: With Burmester and Grace coming into the week in great form, Stinger GC feels like the team closer to the bottom of the standings than the top that has a real chance to make a run at the Michigan Team Championship. They seem destined for a quarter-final date with their rivals Ripper GC.

8 SMASH GC (59.50 points)

Players: Talor Gooch (6th), Brooks Koepka (31st), Graeme McDowell (34th), Jason Kokrak (41st)

2025 Performance: It was a frustrating season for Smash GC, which did not earn a win but did have three podium finishes. Captain Koepka had arguably the worst season of his career and enters the week following a 50th-place finish at LIV Golf Indianapolis. Gooch had a bounce-back season, winning at Valderrama after a winless 2024 but Smash didn’t get much out of Kokrak and McDowell overall.

Outlook: Koepka’s match play history and major championship pedigree makes Smash dangerous but the chances of Koepka returning to form this week seem slim. Although none of the four players on the team have a losing match play record on LIV Golf, it would take a herculean effort for Smash to be there on Sunday with a chance to win.

9 RANGEGOATS GC (45.00 points)

Players: Bubba Watson (11th), Ben Campbell (36th), Peter Uihlein (38th), Matthew Wolff (42nd)

2025 Performance: Captain Watson had a resurgent season for the RangeGoats and re-established himself as one of the most exciting players in the league. However, Watson’s teammates failed to deliver, and in most tournaments, it was the 44-year-old carrying the load for the team. The RangeGoats had only one podium finish in 2025.

Outlook: Watson’s Ryder Cup experience (3-4-0 in singles) combined with his stellar form may prove to be an asset this week but the other three RangeGoats will need to perform for the team to have any chance of advancing to the semi-finals.

10 HYFLYERS GC (34.66 points)

Players: Phil Mickelson (24th), Cameron Tringale (28th), Brendan Steele (45th), Andy Ogletree (50th)

2025 Performance: Mickelson’s experience and leadership was key for the HyFlyers this season and Tringale was steady but the poor seasons from Steele and Ogletree were costly for the team. The HyFlyers had only one podium finish in 2025.

Outlook: Mickelson’s Ryder Cup record (18-14-6) brings match play savvy but the team’s inconsistent contributions across the roster limit their ceiling.

11 CLEEKS GOLF CLUB (10.50 points)

Players: Adrian Meronk (17th), Richard Bland (27th), Martin Kaymer (37th), Frederik Kjettrup (T55)

2025 Performance: Meronk won the first event of the season in Riyadh but failed to build off that momentum for the better part of the season. Bland was steady all year and Kaymer had a few glimpses of brilliance but Kjetterup’s inability to earn a single individual point really limited Cleeks Golf Club, who failed to earn a podium finish all year.

Outlook: Kaymer’s Ryder Cup experience (2-3-1) is a plus but Cleeks’ lack of firepower suggests a quarter-final exit. Their low seed means facing a top team early, making advancement tough.

12 MAJESTICKS GC (9.16 points)

Players: Sam Horsfield (39th), Lee Westwood (46th), Ian Poulter (48th), Henrik Stenson (49th).

2025 Performance: It was a dismal season for Majesticks GC with all three captains competing to avoid the Drop Zone until the bitter end. Poulter’s late birdie surge in Indianapolis got him into the Open Zone but just barely. The Majesticks failed to record a single podium finish.

Outlook: The Majesticks defeated the Iron Heads in the play-in match, which should give them some momentum. Poulter’s Ryder Cup record (15-8-2, 6-0-1 in singles) and Westwood’s experience (47 matches) give them a slight edge but their overall poor form may be difficult to overcome.